U.S. patent application number 12/606336 was filed with the patent office on 2011-04-28 for greenhouse using transparent solar battery.
This patent application is currently assigned to ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE. Invention is credited to Mun Kee CHOI, Yong Seok JUN, Soo Young OH, Hunkyun PAK.
Application Number | 20110094558 12/606336 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43897349 |
Filed Date | 2011-04-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110094558 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHOI; Mun Kee ; et
al. |
April 28, 2011 |
GREENHOUSE USING TRANSPARENT SOLAR BATTERY
Abstract
Provided is a greenhouse including transparent solar batteries
disposed on an outer wall of the greenhouse. Since the transparent
solar batteries are disposed on an outer wall of the greenhouse,
the greenhouse may generate pollution-free energy while allowing
greenhouse cultivation.
Inventors: |
CHOI; Mun Kee;
(Daejeon-city, KR) ; OH; Soo Young; (Daejeon-city,
KR) ; JUN; Yong Seok; (Daejeon-city, KR) ;
PAK; Hunkyun; (Daejeon-city, KR) |
Assignee: |
ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Daejeon-City
KR
|
Family ID: |
43897349 |
Appl. No.: |
12/606336 |
Filed: |
October 27, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
136/244 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 31/042 20130101;
Y02P 60/124 20151101; H02S 40/12 20141201; Y02E 10/50 20130101;
Y02A 40/25 20180101; A01G 9/243 20130101; Y02P 60/12 20151101; Y02A
40/266 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
136/244 |
International
Class: |
H01L 31/042 20060101
H01L031/042 |
Claims
1. A greenhouse using solar batteries, the greenhouse comprising:
amorphous silicon solar batteries or dye-sensitized solar cells
(DSC) arranged in an array; and an outer wall formed by arranging
the solar batteries with predetermined intervals therebetween.
2. The greenhouse of claim 1, wherein a transparent plate for
generating heat by using a carbon nano-tube is disposed on surfaces
of the solar batteries.
3. The greenhouse of claim 1, wherein the solar batteries are
arranged in double-layered structure and solar cells of the solar
batteries are arranged alternately so that a light transmittance of
the greenhouse may vary depending on an overlapping degree of the
double-layered solar batteries.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a greenhouse using a solar
battery.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Conventional greenhouses are made of glass or vinyl through
which light transmits, and plants are cultivated therein. That is,
the greenhouse, which is configured so that the green house is
exposed to lots of sunlight, only receives the sunlight passively,
and does not actively generate energy by using the sunlight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention provides a greenhouse capable of
generating pollution-free energy and cultivating plants therein by
using a solar battery.
[0006] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a greenhouse using a solar battery, the greenhouse
including: amorphous silicon solar batteries or dye-sensitized
solar cells (DSC) arranged in an array; and an outer wall formed by
arranging the solar batteries with predetermined intervals
therebetween.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The above and other features and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent by describing in detail
exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached
drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of general solar
batteries;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outer wall of a greenhouse
having solar batteries, according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0010] FIG. 3 are front views of the greenhouse shown in FIG. 2,
according to other embodiments of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing solar cells for adjusting a
light transmittance of the greenhouse; and
[0012] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a solar battery including a
hot-wire on a surface thereof, according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention will now be described more fully with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary
embodiments of the invention are shown.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing general solar batteries.
[0015] In FIG. 1, a solar battery located on the left side of the
drawing is an amorphous silicon solar battery in which a plurality
of solar cells 110 are arranged on a substrate 100 in an array. A
solar battery located on the right side of the drawing is a
dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) in which a solar cell 130 is
disposed on a substrate 120. In the DSC, the solar cell 130 may
have a size corresponding to that of the substrate 120. Embodiments
of the present invention may use various types of solar batteries
that have been developed so far, as well as the general solar
batteries shown in FIG. 1.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outer wall of a greenhouse
having solar batteries 200, according to an embodiment of the
present invention, FIG. 3 are front views of the greenhouse shown
in FIG. 2, according to other embodiments of the present invention,
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing solar cells 402 and 412 for adjusting a
light transmittance of the greenhouse, and FIG. 5 shows an example
of a solar battery 500 including a hot-wire 510 on a surface
thereof, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be
described with reference to FIGS. 2 through 5.
[0017] Referring to FIG. 2, the outer wall of the greenhouse is
surrounded by the solar batteries 200. That is, conventional
greenhouses are formed of glass or vinyl; however, the greenhouse
of the present embodiment is surrounded by the solar batteries 200
that are transparent. According to other embodiments of the present
invention, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the greenhouse may be formed
of a plurality of flat solar batteries 300 which are connected to
each other and attached to the outer wall of the greenhouse without
bending the solar batteries 300, or may be formed of bendable solar
batteries 310 that are formed correspondingly on the outer wall of
the greenhouse. That is, when the amorphous silicon solar battery
or the DSC shown in FIG. 1 includes a bendable substrate, a
greenhouse of rounded shape may be formed.
[0018] The solar batteries 200 may surround the entire portion of
the greenhouse as shown in FIG. 2. Otherwise, the solar batteries
200 may be arranged in an array and conventional materials (for
example, glass, vinyl, and transparent plastic) may be connected
between the solar batteries 200.
[0019] Cultivating conditions may vary depending on plants being
cultivated in the greenhouse, and thus, the solar batteries 200
that have a light transmittance suitable for the kind of plant
being cultivated in the greenhouse may be used. In order to adjust
the light transmittance to be suitable for the plants being
cultivated in the greenhouse, the solar batteries 200 on the
greenhouse may be arranged in a double-layered structure as shown
in FIG. 4. For example, in order to reduce the light transmittance,
the solar cells 402 and 412 of two solar batteries 400 and 410 are
arranged alternately, and in order to increase the light
transmittance, the solar cells 402 and 412 respectively of solar
batteries 400 and 410 are disposed to overlap each other.
Therefore, an intensity of the light transmitted by the solar
batteries 400 and 410 may be adjusted.
[0020] On the other hand, when heavy snow falls in the winter, the
weight applied to the greenhouse increases and the greenhouse may
collapse. In order to prevent the greenhouse from collapsing, the
strength of the greenhouse structure needs to be increased. In
addition, it may be inconvenient to clean the snow piled up on the
solar batteries 400 and 410. Therefore, the solar battery 500 may
include the hot-wire 510 on a surface thereof so as to melt the
snow that falls on the surface thereof when it snows, and to
prevent the snow from piling. Sensing of the snow may be performed
using various sensors, as well as by a human being. In addition,
the energy supplied to the hot-wire 510 may be generated and
accumulated by the solar battery 500.
[0021] In FIG. 5, the solar battery 500 includes the hot-wire 510,
but the present embodiment is not limited thereto, and thus, a
material which generates heat on receiving energy may be coated on
the surface of the solar battery 500 so that the heat may be
generated from the entire surface of the solar battery 500 so that
the snow may be melted efficiently. For example, a transparent
plate having a heat generating function by using a carbon nano-tube
(CNT) may be disposed on the surface of the solar battery 500.
[0022] According to a greenhouse of the present invention, plants
are cultivated in the greenhouse, and moreover, pollution-free
energy may be generated by solar batteries disposed on the outer
wall of the greenhouse.
[0023] While the present invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will
be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various
changes in form and details may be made therein without departing
from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by
the following claims.
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